We look at how St. Luke got this story about the trip to Emmaus


Wednesday, 3/30/16

In the opening paragraph of his Gospel, St. Luke tells us that for writing his Gospel, he had investigated everything anew. He had consulted with those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning.

We can picture him asking around Jerusalem, and how someone put him in touch with a man named Cleopas. On Easter Sunday, along with another disciple, he had been fleeing the city out of fear that the people who crucified Jesus might also be looking for his disciples.   

Cleopas said, “Well, Luke, this stranger joined us, and he began asking us why we were hurrying from the city.”

Luke asked, “It was Jesus, wasn’t it? Why didn’t you know him?”

“It’s mysterious, but we didn’t recognize him even when we were telling him about Jesus. At first he acted like it was news to him, and he let us go on telling him about the women who went to the tomb at dawn without seeing Jesus. Then, scolding us, he said, “How slow of heart you are, ignoring all that the prophets had foretold.”

“When we asked him what things the prophets had foretold, he went on, quoting from all of them, identifying every prophesy fulfilled in him. I tell you, Luke, just listening to him had our hearts burning within us.”


“He acted as though he was going on, but we took his arms, pleading with him to stay on. He did, but when we recognized him in the breaking of the bread, he just disappeared. We turned, and we near flew back to Jerusalem. There the Apostles told us that they had seen the Lord.”   

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